NEWS
Grants of up to £ 5,000 to fill empty shops
The sight of empty shops in the high street is commonplace in UK towns up and down the country.
One market town council in Shropshire is hoping to change that by offering grants of up to £ 5,000.
Other towns and cities across the UK are offering similar grants to try and fill empty shops, as the cost of living crisis has an effect on where people are spending their money, coupled with the increase in e-commerce.
Oswestry Town Council is calling on local businesses and entrepreneurs to breathe new life into vacant town centre premises.
Through the Breathing New Life into Empty Properties initiative, the council is offering grants to businesses looking to occupy town centre premises that have stood empty for more than six months.
Funding is flexible and can cover a range of costs including refurbishment and fit-out works, interior and exterior decoration, signage and branding and accessibility improvements.
The Mayor of Oswestry, Cllr Jonathan Upton, said:“ Oswestry’ s town centre is in a strong position, and these grants are about building on that. We want to ensure that any vacant property becomes an opportunity for ambitious local businesses. This initiative reflects the council’ s commitment to keeping Oswestry a place where new businesses can take root and the high street continues to thrive.”
Applicants have until August 21 to apply.
M & S launches 1,000 training places for young people across stores
M
& S has announced Not Just Any Career, a new initiative that will create 1,000 training places for young people across the UK and Ireland.
Designed to open opportunities for people at the start of their careers, the programme will focus on leadership skills, hands-on experience and clear pathways into a retail career for life. Applicants will not need a degree to take part. Both M & S colleagues and external candidates can apply, from school leavers upwards, specifically aimed at 18 – 24-year-olds.
The programme responds to the growing youth unemployment challenge by giving young people practical experience, support and a direct route into management. The CEO of M & S, Stuart Machin, recently reflected on his career in retail which started with pushing trolleys at 16, in a blog post commissioned by Alan Milburn:“ A Saturday job can change a young person’ s life. I know, because it transformed mine. But when I think about the challenges facing young people today, I worry that many won’ t have the same opportunity. That doesn’ t need to be the case – we can do so much more to provide the opportunities, experiences and skills to unlock their confidence and get them into good jobs.”
The interim report of Alan Milburn’ s Young People and Work
Review found that nearly 1 million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training, roughly one in eight – and forecast to rise to one in six by 2030.
www. intelligentcxo. com
9